Day 2: I don't remember all of these hills?

April 5, 2012

Whoa, what a pretty day! I was right about it being clearer this time of year, though I was wrong about the traffic. Although That didn't have to do with the time of year, it seemed to be about the holiday weekend. Still, people, overall, were pretty mellow and, as far as I could tell, seemed to go out of their way in not trying to run me down.

It's funny what you remember though. I remember it being easier the last time I rode Big Sur, though that is surely because the last time I rode this route I had hundreds of miles in my legs by this point? This time I was, more or less, starting cold. The climbs seem higher, and steeper, than I remembered. Still, on the bright side, I liked the sunnier, less marine layer more.

I was feeling like toast on the last climb. It was there I met Carman, from Spain, grinding up the hill on an old, Walmart looking mountain bike, loaded for bear, with a backpack, no less.

She was headed to a different campground until I convinced her that Kirk Creek was nicer, and right on the ocean. We rode the rest of the way together and she agreed, it was a good choice.

The only problem with the campground was that it had no potable water. No problem, I went around to various campsites, turned on the charm, and bummed a couple bottles of water.

After a dinner of a backpacking meal and Chicken of The Sea smoked salmon, I set off with my camera to photograph the sunset, and on my way back, someone, on the other side of the smallish campground, produced a trumpet and proceeded to play the "Happy Birthday" song. The whole camped cheered a happy birthday wish at the conclusion.

Then another cheer went up just as the sun went down over the horizon. It was a fun atmosphere.

By this time I was feeling pretty shattered, tired wise, and after a long talk with Carman, which I'll talk about tomorrow, it was time for bed.

And that was when the "fun" began...